


Getting the Gang Together

by ericsonclan



Series: Fantasy Hijinks AU [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:21:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24851503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: The halflings decide to grab a meal at a local pub, but soon figure out it isn't a pub at all! (scandalized gasp)
Series: Fantasy Hijinks AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1797862
Kudos: 6





	Getting the Gang Together

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

Louis, Violet and Omar had happily made their way into the nearest pub as soon as they entered the first town. It took a little while for them to realize that this was not in fact that cozy tavern they had been expecting, but some sort of bar. The first clue was lack of good snacks, a fact that made Omar quite grumpy, but they decided to stay at least for a round of drinks. The second was when a member of the bar’s staff attempted to shoo them out, claiming that they were minors and thus not privy to the “adult” entertainment that was about to begin. After a few minutes of confusion they explained to the staff member that they were in fact halflings, not children. The man apologized profusely, giving them another round of free drinks as he explained that they didn’t get halflings very often at establishments like this, but he wasn’t one to judge. They should have a good time and enjoy the show. The three of them were somewhat perturbed at this point, but given that they’d just been given more drinks they didn’t want to seem rude, so they settled down for their second round.

The third and final clue was what truly drove the realization home that they were not in. tavern of any sort. A group of girls came out onto the stage in elaborate, frilly costumes, giggling and waving to the audience. They then began an extremely provocative dance and began to remove pieces of their clothing!

Louis did a spit take across the table. “I’ve heard of places like this!” he exclaimed, eyes wide with horror. “This is a…” his voice dropped to a whisper. “Strip club!”

Violet and Omar shared a concerned look. They were certainly not in the place they intended, but they also didn’t want to be rude to the performers and walk out in the middle of their dance, even if the dance was making them all quite uncomfortable. They slid down in their chairs with their drinks, eyes looking around the room for anything else to watch until the show was over.

One girl in particular caught their attention. Not for her sexy dancing, in fact quite the opposite. While all the other girls were sashaying back and forth and dropping clothing left and right, this girl seemed to be lost, as if she’d just been taught the choreography at the last minute. Her rhythm was off, her moves sloppy, and so far all she’d managed to get off was one shoe and a garter belt that had gone flying across the room, almost hitting the bartender. She was clearly a newbie.

“Poor thing,” Louis murmured, taking a sip of his ale. “She’s clearly uncomfortable with all this,”

Violet nodded. “Yeah, and there’s no way she’ll make a living off of this with dance moves like that,” They watched as the girl clumsily attempted to spin a dish in her hand, bumping into one of the other dancers and inadvertently flinging the plate backstage where it broke with a loud crash. She attempted to grab another from behind the curtain, but tripped on her one heel, grabbing the curtain for support as she fell. The curtain ripped apart dramatically, doing little to break her fall as she tumbled from the stage. What ended up as her landing spot was a nearby table instead. There was a huge uproar as the table broke beneath the girl. Plates of food clattered to the floor, morsels flying through the air and splattering all the guests who surrounded it.

The dance came to a grinding halt. The rest of the performers were shooed off stage as security came forward, dragging the girl off as the owners apologized desperately to what was clearly a table full of VIPs. The trio of halflings looked between themselves, brows furrowed.

“We can’t just leave the girl,” Violet stated, looking toward the door the guards had taken her through. “Who knows what sort of shady shit is going on back there?”

“Agreed,” Louis’ face was set firmly. “We’ll go back there and rescue her! It’ll be our first quest as true adventurers! Ready, Omar?”

Omar nodded, downing the rest of his drink with a loud gulp. “Let’s do this,”

The three halflings snuck up to the door, ready to draw their weapons if need be. Before they could actually do anything though, the dancer girl burst through, eyes red from crying. She was dressed in regular clothes now and promptly headed for the exit. It was clear she’d been fired. The three halflings motioned wordlessly to each other, wondering what to do now. Before they could sort anything out, Louis ran out the door after the girl, Violet and Omar hot on his heels. They found her leaning against the outside of the building, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

“Excuse me, miss, are you alright?” Louis asked her. Omar silently handed him a handkerchief which he offered to the girl.

She stared at the handkerchief blankly for a few seconds before taking it. She used it to loudly blow her nose, then handed it back to Louis with a shaky breath.

Louis took the handkerchief back reluctantly, offering it to Omar. After seeing Omar clearly no longer wanted it, he softly flung it into a nearby barrel, hoping it was meant for trash.

Finally the girl spoke. “Thank you for the tissue. No one’s been nice to me since I moved to this shitty town. It was a mistake coming here,”

“Where are you from originally?” Louis asked.

“A little farming village called Frihelm. Barely worthy of a name really. I left in hopes of building a better life for myself than shoveling manure for the rest of my life. Once I got here though, I quickly realized I didn’t have any skills worth paying for. This place was my last shot. Now that it’s a bust, I guess it’s back to the dung heap for me,”

“Well, why don’t you come with us?” Louis’ face brightened at the prospect. “We’re making our own way in the world too! We don’t have much yet, but we’d be happy to share with you till we’ve gotten our first quest!”

“You’d do that… for me?” The girl was clearly surprised.

All three halflings nodded.

Violet chuckled. “If you’re anywhere near as good in a fight as you were against that table, you’ll be a great addition,”

“And if you have any cheese recipes, they’d be much appreciated,” Omar added.

“Cheese… recipes? I mean, I guess I know a few from back home, but they’re nothing special,”

“Anything is appreciated,”

“So it’s decided then!” Louis declared, patting her wrist jovially. “You’re now a member of our group! Welcome… silly me, I forgot to get your name. What is it?”

“Brody. My name’s Brody,”

“Welcome, Brody! We’re glad to have you! Now let’s head out to a proper tavern and get us some grub!” With that, they were off in search of some proper food. They quickly found an actual tavern, surveying it suspiciously as they entered, but soon settling down in comfort. They paid for Brody’s food as well, who commented that she was surprised with how much such small creatures could tuck away. They thanked her for the compliment, chatting and eating heartily until the daylight waned and night had arrived. Finding that there was an inn on top of the tavern, they decided to sleep there for the night. They paid for a two bedroom room, Brody taking one of the beds while the three halflings slept side by side crosswise on the biggest bed they’d ever come across. They all slept well, confident in their success at recruiting their first new member and with excitement to face the next day head-on.


End file.
